Worthy of Protection

“Do you think…anyone heard us?” I asked a little shyly as I reflected on his beastly lovemaking.

Judging from my very hoarse voice and the pain in my throat, I must have screamed quite a bit last night.

“I’m sure everyone heard you. If they’re not deaf that is…you were very loud. It was quite impressive, really,” Reiner replied like it was nothing as he laughed a little.

I didn’t understand how he could suddenly be so carefree about this, but I had to admit that I liked Reiner a lot better this way.

…

“Well then, we’ll be on our way…call me if anything happens,” Lucien instructed Reiner as he got into the driver’s seat. Today, Lucien and I are heading off to our long-awaited holiday before coming back for Lucien’s wedding to Angela this Sunday. After a few arguments with Reiner, he had very reluctantly agreed to let me go alone with Lucien. More like, I became too stubborn about it for him to handle and so he had to let me go and do things my way.

Lucien will be driving which meant that we would truly be alone on this trip together. I had a few things that I wanted to discuss with Lucien so perhaps this was for the best. I glanced at Lucien’s handsome but strained face as he drove. I wonder…how I would feel watching Lucien getting married for the second time to someone else. Would I be heartbroken? Would I feel like dying inside? Or…would I feel absolutely nothing?

Everyone who means something to me will be there at Lucien’s wedding. Lucien, Edward, Zak, and Reiner, all of them will be there at the wedding. Along with other guests that I didn’t want to see such as Madame Francesca. Ironically, Edward will be standing in as Lucien’s best man regardless of the tension between them.

“I heard that Edward will be your best man at your wedding?” I asked casually, looking for something to talk about to kill the time during our ride.

“Yes. He’ll be the best man at all my weddings, and I’ll be his best man at his wedding. Well, doesn’t seem like that would be happening anytime soon…” Lucien answered casually.

I wonder if Edward was the best man back when Lucien married my mother too. I don’t remember and I didn’t want to ask Lucien about it. ‘All of my weddings’…Lucien will probably marry again after he divorces Angela. Perhaps he’ll do it for another business deal or…

I agreed with Lucien that Edward doesn’t seem like he’s going to get married anytime soon. Although his womanizing gossip news have died down some what lately in the press, I’m sure he’s still fooling around with his harem of endlessly famous and popular women. Some time when it is quiet and I’m alone, I thought about Edward’s proposal; however, I have yet the grasp the true meaning behind his marriage proposal.

‘You should marry me. If I were you, I’d marry me as soon as possible,’ Edward’s words came back to haunt me very often. I wonder what he meant and what are his hidden intentions.

It’s truly unfortunate. If this trip had taken place a couple of months before this, I would be overjoyed to be spending quality alone time with Lucien. However, right now I had such mixed feelings and sometimes the sense of dread seemed to overweight the happiness. I had to talk to Lucien about the peeping hole and perhaps Edward’s proposal. Perhaps Lucien could shed some light on Edward’s intentions. How best to know your opponent? Ask his enemy.

…

We came to one of the beach villas that Lucien owns located on one of the private beaches that he owns. I barely think about things like this but if Lucien doesn’t have an heir, I will end up inheriting all his wealth including this private beach. The idea is so out-of-this-world alien to me that I have never thought of it before. We refer to it as a villa but in the end, this is just another oversized mansion that happens to be located close to the sea.

I looked up at the sunny blue sky with squinted eyes as I sat on the sand beach in my red bikini. I should be enjoying this trip but instead, all I was thinking about was how to start the conversation with Lucien. Suddenly, I felt the sand beneath me move as a topless Lucien sat down next to me.

Wordlessly, we sat next to each other as we looked out into the mysterious blue ocean.

“Excited for the wedding?” I teased. I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Yes…but for a reason you wouldn’t be able to guess,” Lucien replied as he wrapped an arm around my back and winked at me. I laughed a little in reply as I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“I won’t start guessing then…” I replied as I sighed lazily.

We went back to silently observing the scenery around us. I hope we don’t get sunburnt. It would be funny for the groom to be peeling at his wedding.

“Have you thought a little about your future?” Lucien asked suddenly. His eyes still on the horizon far away.

Why is he asking this out of nowhere? It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but I haven’t figured out what I wanted yet besides from immediate steps of starting a career of some sort.

“Why are you asking so suddenly?” I asked.

“Just answer me,” Lucien replied firmly.

“Hmm…I’ve thought about it quite a lot actually…but apart from starting a career or finding a job, I haven’t thought about anything extraordinary or long term,” I replied honestly.

“What kind of job do you want?” Lucien asked with interest.

I was taken aback a little by his change in attitude. I still remembered our last conversation on this topic and Lucien’s clear preference for me to remain jobless because no matter what I did I would never earn enough to change our or my own socio-economic status. Worst, that conversation also led to my house arrest.

“I’m not sure…I’ve thought of a few things related to my business major. I haven’t chosen yet…so maybe, I’ll just apply to a couple of places…” I replied honestly and hopefully.

“It’s good to have choices and more importantly, the freedom to choose. I envy you a lot, it’s a good problem to have. For Edward and I, we never had the luxury to fully choose our path in life. Edward rebelled a lot and ended up with some degree of freedom so only half of him is tied to the family business. I, on the other hand, am completely tied to the business and the whims of the elders,” Lucien stated emotionlessly. There was a far away look in his eyes and he was probably seeing something that I couldn’t see.

“…Do you regret it?” I asked hesitantly.

Lucien turned to face me, and our eyes met. His emerald-green eyes looked so serious yet very calm.

“No…and I’ll never regret it. I have things worth protecting you see…” Lucien said patiently as his warm hand traced the outlines of my face.

“…What do you…mean?” I asked without realizing that I had spoken out loud.

“As always, Edward will do things his way and I’ll do things my way. However, we both have something we want to protect and a promise that we have sworn to keep,” Lucien answered in a low voice, his eyes never leaving mine.

“What are you talking about…?” I asked as I felt a strong sense of foreboding.

“I’ll tell you a very old story between two old friends after the wedding is over,” Lucien replied before swiftly getting up and walking off.

What was that all about just now?

“Lucien!” I turned around to call out after him, but he never looked back.

--To be continued…